Rail Sensor Magnetic Mounting for Precise Positioning
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing sensor devices attached to rail tracks using magnets often experience unwanted movement, which affects measurement accuracy and can lead to damage from passing rail vehicles, and must maintain a safe distance from wheel rims, requiring precise placement without trained technicians.
Innovation Solution
A sensor device with permanent magnets and a housing design featuring three contact edge regions that securely attach to the rail track's lateral side, ensuring stable and precise positioning by contacting the base, neck, and head portions, allowing for reproducible placement and proximity to rail vehicles without precision measurements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If magnets are used to attach the sensor device to the rail track, then the attachment process is simplified and no holes or fasteners are needed, but the sensor device experiences unwanted movement affecting measurement accuracy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from a single-point magnetic attachment to a multi-point contact system. The mounting side features first, second, and third contact edge regions that contact different portions of the rail track (head, neck, and foot), creating a stable triangular support base that prevents unwanted movement while maintaining the simplicity of magnetic attachment.
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor device is designed with a predetermined mounting orientation where the mounting side is configured to contact the outer surface of the rail track in specific positions. This preliminary design ensures that when the device is attached, it automatically assumes the correct orientation and stable position without requiring additional adjustment or precision measurements during installation.
2Ease of manufacture
If magnets are used to attach the sensor device to the rail track, then installation becomes simpler, but the sensor may be damaged by passing rail vehicles if it moves to a position overlapping with wheel passage area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses the third dimension (depth/distance from rail surface) to ensure safety. By positioning the mounting side to contact the outer surface of the rail track at specific distances, the sensor device is held at a safe distance from the wheel passage area, preventing damage from passing rail vehicles while maintaining simple magnetic attachment installation.
3Productivity
If the sensor device is placed on the rail track, then it can perform measurements, but safety regulations require maintaining a minimum distance from wheel rims which complicates placement
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor device is designed with predetermined contact positions on its mounting side that correspond to specific distances from the rail surface. This preliminary design ensures that when the device is attached, it automatically maintains the required minimum distance from wheel rims (e.g., 45mm in the Netherlands) while still being able to perform measurements, eliminating the need for complex placement procedures or precision measurements during installation.
Solution Approach 2:
The mounting side geometry and contact edge regions are designed to self-align with the rail track profile. When the device is brought near the rail, the contact edges naturally find their correct positions, ensuring both safety distance compliance and measurement capability without requiring trained technicians or complex placement procedures.
4Manufacturing precision
If precision measurements and trained technicians are used for sensor placement, then positioning accuracy is improved, but installation time and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
All precision requirements are built into the device design beforehand. The mounting side with its specific contact edge regions is pre-configured to contact the rail track at predetermined positions that ensure both accuracy and safety. This eliminates the need for precision measurements and trained technicians during installation, allowing any technician to install the device quickly by simply attaching it to the rail track where the contact edges naturally find their correct positions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The sensor device achieves stable and precise attachment to rail tracks, maintaining safety standards and allowing for accurate measurements of rail vehicle properties, including magnetic fields, without the need for trained technicians.
Implementation Method 1
one or more permanent magnets positioned such that the sensor device is mountable on the lateral side of the rail track by magnetic attraction between the magnets and the rail track
Data Source
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AI summary
Disclosed are a sensor device for placement on a rail track and a method for placing said sensor device, the sensor device comprising one or more permanent magnets positioned such that the sensor device is mountable on the lateral side of the rail track by magnetic attraction; and a housing comprising a base side, a mounting side, and a top side opposite the base side, wherein the mounting side comprises a first, a second and a third contact edge region configured to be in contact with the rail track, the second contact edge region is positioned outwardly from a first plane extending through both the first contact edge region and the third contact edge region, and the second contact edge region is positioned between a second plane extending parallel to the top side and through the first contact edge region and a third plane extending parallel to the second plane and through the third contact edge region.